How to enter the metaverse: step by step and platforms

Entering the metaverse takes three steps: pick a platform like Roblox, Decentraland, or Second Life, create a free account, and access it from the device you already have — a smartphone, a computer, or a VR (Virtual Reality) headset. No expensive gear is required to take the first steps.

• What is the metaverse?
• How to enter the metaverse step by step?
• What are the main metaverse platforms?
• VR and AR gear for the metaverse

What is the metaverse?

The metaverse is a shared, persistent digital space that combines 3D worlds, avatars, and real-time social interaction, used for gaming, work, education, and virtual commerce. Unlike a regular website or app, the metaverse keeps existing and evolving even when the user disconnects — if you want to go deeper into the concept, see the complete guide on what the metaverse is and how it works.

These virtual universes range from multiplayer gaming platforms, like Roblox and Fortnite, to social and economic simulation environments, like Second Life and Decentraland. In all of them, participants explore scenarios, create their own content, collaborate with others, and even build businesses within the digital space.

Big tech companies' bet on this concept became explicit in 2021, when Facebook changed its name to Meta. In the 2021 Founder's Letter, Mark Zuckerberg wrote: "The metaverse is the next frontier in connecting people, just like social networking was when we got started".

Two technologies underpin much of these experiences: VR (Virtual Reality), which immerses the user in a fully digital environment, and AR (Augmented Reality), which projects virtual elements over the real world. Some platforms add blockchain to this, used to record the ownership of land and virtual items.

How to enter the metaverse step by step?

To enter the metaverse, the path is the same on virtually any platform: pick the virtual universe, create an account, install the app on the available device, and personalize an avatar. The whole process takes less than 30 minutes and requires no technical knowledge. Follow the steps below:

1. Pick the platform: define what you're looking for — gaming and creation (Roblox, Minecraft), immersive socializing (Meta Horizon Worlds), virtual economy (Second Life), or digital ownership via blockchain (Decentraland).
2. Create a free account: sign up on the chosen platform's official site with an email and password. All the platforms mentioned in this guide have free entry.
3. Install the app on your device: download the client for phone, PC, or console. Decentraland also runs straight in the browser, and Horizon Worlds requires a Meta Quest headset.
4. Set up your avatar: customize appearance, name, and privacy preferences. The avatar is your identity inside the virtual universe.
5. Explore worlds and interact: enter community-created experiences, take part in events, and add friends. The learning curve is quick because the worlds guide the beginner.
6. Connect a digital wallet (optional): on blockchain-based platforms like Decentraland, a crypto wallet lets you buy land, wearables, and the MANA currency. Understand first how blockchain technology works.

Those who want more immersion can access the same worlds with a VR headset, but dedicated hardware is an upgrade, not a prerequisite.

What are the main metaverse platforms?

The main metaverse platforms in 2026 are Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, Decentraland, Second Life, and Meta Horizon Worlds — each with a different focus, access method, and audience. The table below summarizes the differences:

Roblox

Roblox is today the largest-scale metaverse: the company reported an average of 132 million daily active users in the first quarter of 2026, up 35% year over year, with 31 billion hours of engagement in the period, according to the Roblox Corporation Q1 2026 shareholder letter. Although popular with younger audiences, the platform lets any user create, publish, and monetize their own games and interactive experiences.

Decentraland

Decentraland is a blockchain-based metaverse where users acquire virtual land and build their own 3D experiences. The platform uses the MANA cryptocurrency as a means of exchange and for community governance.

Second Life

Second Life, launched in 2003, is one of the first metaverses and remains active. Users create avatars, build and sell virtual products and services, and take part in social and cultural events inside the digital world.

Meta Horizon Worlds

Meta Horizon Worlds is Meta's social virtual reality platform. The goal is to create a metaverse where users meet, explore, and interact in immersive environments accessed through the Meta Quest headset.

Fortnite

Fortnite, known for its battle royale mode, also features metaverse elements: beyond competitive matches, Epic Games' game hosts concerts, collaborative events, and community-built islands in a constantly evolving virtual world.

Minecraft

Minecraft, famous for its block-building gameplay, works in practice as a metaverse: players create and explore vast virtual environments, form communities on servers, and share creations. Mojang announced at Minecraft Live 2023 that the game had surpassed 300 million copies sold, a milestone disclosed in October 2023.

VR and AR gear for the metaverse

The gear needed to enter the metaverse depends on the platform: a smartphone or ordinary computer is enough for Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, Second Life, and Decentraland; only native VR platforms like Meta Horizon Worlds require dedicated headsets. In other words, specialized hardware broadens the experience but isn't a barrier to entry.

VR headsets, like the Meta Quest and the HTC Vive, fully immerse the user in the virtual universe: screens close to the eyes and motion sensors create an immersive experience where the body takes part in the interaction. Standalone models like the Meta Quest don't need a computer and greatly simplify the initial setup.

Augmented reality devices, like the Microsoft HoloLens and Magic Leap, take the opposite path: they project digital objects over the real world, letting you interact with virtual elements without losing contact with the physical environment. This approach is common in professional applications, from industrial training to medicine.

The potential of these technologies goes far beyond entertainment: immersion in controlled environments is already applied in clinical contexts, as shown by the use of virtual reality in therapeutic rehabilitation. For beginners, the practical recommendation is simple: try first the platforms that run on the device you already own, and only invest in a VR headset if immersion becomes a priority.

Conclusion

Entering the metaverse in 2026 is less a matter of equipment and more a matter of platform choice: with a free account and the phone already in your pocket, you access universes with hundreds of millions of active users. The concept keeps evolving — platforms appear, pivot, and disappear — so the smart strategy is to start with the ecosystem aligned with your goal (creating, socializing, or building a business) and treat the VR headset as a later investment. Here at CodeCrush, our reading is that the metaverse has stopped being a futuristic promise and become a real market for content creation and development — and those who learn to build in it now get a head start.